Juno

One frequent criticism of certain screenwriters is to point out that their characters all sound the same. To some, this phenomenon is a terrible sin; to others, it's simply a matter of style. Though Diablo Cody's not quite in a league with David Mamet or Aaron Sorkin, the newcomer's distinctive style was enough to score her the Best Screenplay Oscar for Juno. The tale of suburban crisis may not be realistic, but it blessedly carries enough novel touches to stand apart from the pack and endure as a popular favorite.

Speaking of good carriage, Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a teenage girl who discovers that she's pregnant in the film's first post-credits scene. "This ain't no Etch-A-Sketch," says the corner market clerk (guest star Rainn Wilson). "This is one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet" (this, despite Juno's attempted shusher "Silencio, old man"). After this scene full of verbal annoyances, Cody's precious dialogue calms down a bit —"Honest to blog?" and "Thundercats are go!" nothwithstanding—as Juno swiftly decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption. She strikes up a relationship with a yuppie couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as Mark and Vanessa Loring) eager for the "sweet, screaming, pooping life" Juno offers them, but each discovers more than he or she bargained for in the deal.

Though she's been embraced by women of all ages hungry—nay, starving—for a female character who combines strength, personality, and attractiveness, the girl with the hamburger phone is not necessarily an easy-to-love character. A nutty Slurpee-holic whose only seeming mode of discourse is irony, Juno has a blinding self-obsession that threatens her relationships with the guitar-strumming baby papa (Michael Cera) and her sardonic but protective stepmom (Alison Janney), if not her caring dad (J.K. Simmons) and loyal best bud (Olivia Thirlby). Eventually, Juno looks beyond her bulging stomach to understand the problems of others; though the solutions Juno offers are secondarily self-serving, at least the recipients get what they need.

Juno is at its best when dealing with a plausible fight that develops between the Lorings. Though the Martha Stewart-bred perfection of Vanessa verges on cliche, Garner does her best screen work yet, elicting painful empathy from the audience. Bateman is her equal in a subtler role, one that requires him to see in Juno everything he's missing in his marriage. Though their scenes are less delicate and more rigged for your pleasure, Janney and Simmons get flavorful moments for themselves: hers touchingly defending her screwed-up stepchild from a snotty tech, and his offering oblivious, fatherly romantic advice.

Page hits the right note for Juno's acid wit, by way of Cody's sharp pen and mirrored in songs by Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches. Though it might've made more sense to have a female director, as well, Jason Reitman confidently handles Cody's material; clearly, the son of Ivan Reitman can relate to the Lorings' spotless, cookie-cut home and Cody's raised-on-pop-culture references (seriously, is any sixteen-year-old in 2007 likely to make a Soupy Sales reference?). The whole package ultimately suggests Gilmore Girls gone wild, its crazy-ass momentum turning out to make for an entertaining night at the movies.

20th Century Fox's fully-loaded Blu-Ray edition (mirrored on two-disc DVD) is a bundle of joy. The film gets a sturdy transfer (occasionally straining when the colors bloom brightest) that does a good job of approximating the film's theatrical apppearance while bringing home a perfect DTS-HD "lossless" 5.1 Surround soundtrack. An enthusiastic commentary by director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody covers most of the bases, including Cody's inspirations, Reitman's detailed directorial insights, recollections of the production and cast, and troubleshooting the rating, among other topics.